Idol Eyes: Top 10 Usher in the Soul

Two hours and 10 contestants give Ryan Seacrest plenty of time to talk with Usher about his new album. Which would be great if I were bulimic. So let’s just try to muddle through somehow.

Siobhan MagnusSiobhan picked a song that I can’t remember ever hearing and I don’t want to hear again. I know Chaka Khan is supposed to be this goddess of soul, but I don’t know too many of her songs that deserve air time in the 21st Century. She’s just not one of my favorite soul singers. Come to think of it, I don’t even count Chaka among my top 5 favorite Khans (Cobra, Genghis, Kublai, Shere, and Ricardo Montalban). “Though the Fire” burned with not-goodness. The only thing worse than the garbled, funky mess was the 10-minute judges’ review. Ugh^10.Odds of going home: Nah. There will be much more suck to follow.

Casey JamesIt’s time for the guitar to say goodbye. At least it will be next week. But to be honest, Casey could just go up there and smile, and a billion people would text “vote” to 5702. Crap, I think my wife just caught me staring dreamily at the screen. Time to wrap up. Uh . . . yeah, he’s talented, and he doesn’t need this show anymore. He really doesn’t fit the mold of AI.Odds of going home: 300 to .0036

Michael LyncheBig Mike picks good songs and performs them well. He hits his notes. He connects with his audience. He doesn’t have an off switch. I love that he was positioned behind the judges’ table. It was like he was saying, “Forget you four, I’m singing to the people.” He’s really something.Odds of going home: not if there’s anything right in the world.

Didi BenamiDidi broke down performing for Usher, which I find fascinating. It had me looking to see if she could display just enough of that emotion to make us feel with her and not so much that we feel for her. But in all that, I think she just missed the rhythm of the song a bit. She wasn’t nearly as bad as the judges made her out to be (which they have made a habit with Didi), but she’s not doing incredibly well.Odds of going home: 5 to 1

Tim UrbanTim, a dud with hair, sings Anita Baker, maybe the best ever at blowing people’s minds with understated soul. This has all the makings of a snoozapalooza. Somehow, the song seemed to suit him. But it still made me yawn at the innermost part of my being. Randy outsinging him woke me up a bit. Ellen saved the segment. She’s perfect. The whole round of critiques was absolutely brilliant.Odds of going home: 1.1 to 1

Andrew GarciaI’ll give Usher this: he’s giving some really good advice to these people. He may have just saved Andrew’s season, because this thing sounds good. Yeah, there it is kid. He’s still not the best singer on the show, but he finally did something exciting with a low-key cover. Very nice. Prediction: 7 mentions of “Straight Up.” (Shockingly, they all made an obviously intentional effort not to refer to it. Only Ryan called the song by name.)Odds of going home: 11 to 1

Katie StevensKatie < Aretha is the biggest mathematical understatement in the history of numbers. Even comparing Katie’s version of “Chain of Fools” to the one from School of Rock is off-base. The judges can love it all they want, but Katie should not be singing Aretha. And none of the judges seem to notice how close R&B and Country really are to each other . . . or how far apart Katie is from Aretha.Odds of going home: 6 to 1

Lee DeWyze“Treat Her Like a Lady.” Okay, Lee, what do you got? I’ll tell you what he’s got: an innate ability to make old songs sound not as old. Maybe not 100% fresh, but day-old, and I’ll eat that for a dollar. Even if he is wearing a Members Only jacket. Lee rocked that one out, and it made my wife cry a little bit.Odds of going home: that really shouldn’t happen.

Crystal BowersoxBased on the trailer, Heather really wants to see Knight & Day. I say that because I’m sure this is gonna be great with no need for commentary. But what-what? She’s singing Gladys Knight? Just let her sing people . . . shhhhh.

Chills. Man, I knew she could sing, but that was amazing. She showed she’s better than what I thought she was. It doesn’t hurt that “Midnight Train to Georgia” is a top 10 song for me. Amen, Crystal. Amen.Odds of . . . no.

2 Replies to “Idol Eyes: Top 10 Usher in the Soul”

The worst of the night are Didi and Siobhan for me. I don't get Siobhan, she may have the voice, but she never seems to connect with the songs she's singing. It's all about that scream, a la Adam Lambert, but there's only one Adam Lambert. She and few others may hit that high notes, but Adam sings that high notes with melody, diction, breath control and even switches registers up there… I only heard that on instruments, not a human voice… Amazing! Btw, "Through the Fire" by Chaka Kahn is a great 80's R&B song and CK has gorgeous voice. I totally didn't believe what Didi was singing, she was out her realm. For the rest of them— boring, boring as usual except for Andrew and Crystal. They shined tonight. My favorite is Crystal, cuz, she can sing and she knows herself—league of her own. I really think Tim needs to go home… he's a milk toast.

The worst of the night are Didi and Siobhan for me. I don't get Siobhan, she may have the voice, but she never seems to connect with the songs she's singing. It's all about that scream, a la Adam Lambert, but there's only one Adam Lambert. She and few others may hit that high notes, but Adam sings that high notes with melody, diction, breath control and even switches registers up there… I only heard that on instruments, not a human voice… Amazing! Btw, "Through the Fire" by Chaka Kahn is a great 80's R&B song and CK has gorgeous voice. I totally didn't believe what Didi was singing, she was out her realm. For the rest of them— boring, boring as usual except for Andrew and Crystal. They shined tonight. My favorite is Crystal, cuz, she can sing and she knows herself—league of her own. I really think Tim needs to go home… he's a milk toast.

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